A Transtextual Reading of The Tale of Two Beasts: Ikhnilat by Aleksey Remizov and Kalileh and Demneh based on Gerard Genetteʼs Typology

“Kelileh and Demneh”, being marked as a remarkable and valuable work, has been one of the most influential texts on various literary creations in different periods throughout the history of world literature. Its influence has been extended and integrated to Russian literature in the moral tales of Ivan Krylov, the fables of Garshin, Tolstoy in the 19^th century, and even some works of 20^th century by Russian writers (including Aleksey Remizov). In this article, the researchers aim at employing a comparative content analysis method, relying on Gerard Genette's Transtextuality theory and Remizov's approach to literary adaptation from ancient texts. By analyzing the elements of the story and exploring the interaction between The Tale of two Beasts: Ikhnilat by Aleksey Remizov and the pre-text of Kelileh and Demneh, the research sheds light on the extent and nature of their narrative engagement. As the results have indicated, hypertextual relationships, specifically within the sub-branches of Gerard Genette's transtextuality theory, are more pronounced concerning the relationship between the two mentioned texts. The two stories, “The Lion and the Cow” and “Investigating the Work of Demneh”, from Kelileh and Demneh emerge as pretexts for the Russian writer's story. The analyses coming afterwards reveal that transformation prevails over Imitation in the hypertextual relationship between the two mentioned works. Furthermore, based on the genetic classification, a subtle use of refinement, a quantitative transformation in the narrative, and a parody have been observed in their hypertextual relationship.
Introduction:
Kelileh and Demneh, referred to as one of the most prominent and internationally known literary works, was translated from Arabic to Persian by Nasrollah Monshi at the beginning of the 6th century AH (Islamic calendar) during the Ghaznavi era. This translation has had profound effects on the literature of various nations around the world. The echoes of this work can be observed in the writings of some Russian authors of the 19th and 20th centuries, including Ivan Krylov, Fsevalod Garshin, Lev Tolstoy, and Aleksey Remizov. The Russian familiarity with this work dates back to the 15th century, that is three hundred years after the emergence of “Kelileh and Demneh” and the appearance of its Slavic translation.
The Slavic translation of this work is based on the Greek translation done in the 11th century by Simeon Seth, a Byzantine prose writer and physician of the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos, at the emperor's command. This Greek translation was titled “Stefanit and Ikhnilat”, representing a translation of the famous fable names Kalileh and Demneh. Investigations indicate that Aleksey Remizov, a renowned fabulist of the 20^th century Soviet Union and a leading figure in Russian modernism, was the one who drew inspiration from Slavic translation “Stefanit and Ikhnilat”. This work is called The Tale of two Beasts: Ikhnilat and was written in 1922. Remizov himself, in the epilogue of the story, refers to the original source of this writing, which is Kelileh and Demneh.
Therefore, the intertextual relationship between this story and Kalileh and Demneh, according to Gerard Genette's theory (from which we have benefited in this study), is explicitly and declaredly of the hypertextuality type. However, the fundamental question is; which of the five major relationships of genotextuality (architextuality, intertextuality, paratextuality, metatextuality, and hypertextuality) dominates between the two mentioned texts, and from a genotypical perspective, what characteristics does it encompass? Our hypothesis is based on the idea that among the enumerated relationships, the relationship of hypertextuality, which is a characteristic of borrowing, is more prominent, and Kelileh and Demneh can be addressed as the pre-text of Remizov's story. It is worth-mentioning that, according to conducted surveys, there has been no independent research in Persian or Russian on the subject of this article so far.
Materials and Methods:
The prior aim of the current research is to provide a hypertextual reading of “The Tale of two Beasts: Ikhnilat” by Aleksey Remizov and Kelileh and Demneh, using Gerard Genette's theory of transtextuality and the genre analysis of hypertextual relationships proposed by him. Employing a comparative approach and utilizing content analysis and narrative elements, researchers delve into the hypertextual reading through a methodical examination.
In order for this objective to be achieved, the necessary theoretical foundations and present some preliminary information are first established as an introduction to delve into the main discussion regarding the Russian author and his story. Then, the points of similarity and divergence between the two mentioned texts, considering the hypertextual relationship and genotypical genre analysis, are being addressed. Due to limitations in the article's length, the aspects of congruence and incongruence, or more precisely, instances of imitation and transformation between the two texts under scrutiny, are succinctly and comparatively presented in a table.
Results and Discussion:
The narrative structure of The Tale of two Beasts: Ikhnilat by Aleksey Remizov, inspired by Panchatantra that is primary source of Kelileh and Demneh, comprises five parts, designated with Roman numerals according to the Slavic translation of the work. The analysis reveals that the two chapters of “The Lion and the Cow” and “Investigating the Work of Demneh”, from Kelileh and Demneh are considered the original pre-text of this Russian story. These two chapters in Kelileh and Demneh span 97 pages, whereas Remizov's story comprises only 24 pages. This reduction is attributed to the omission of numerous tales from Kelileh and Demneh or their summarization in the hypertext, and Remizov's deviation from the narrative style of the original.
In Kelileh and Demneh, a sophisticated blend of ancient Persian literary prose, combining both rhyme and prose, and the utilization of Persian and Arabic verses is encountered. However, the Russian story is composed solely in contemporary Russian prose, devoid of any traces of translation or references to Persian and Arabic poetry found abundantly in “Kelileh and Demneh”. The use of literary devices such as metaphor, simile, and allegory is more prevalent in the pre-text than in the hypertext. The narrative perspective in both texts is third-person omniscient, with a more tangible presence of the narrator in the Russian story. The central conflict in both texts involves an individual against an individual (Demneh or Ikhnilat against the Cow), culminating in the demise of both parties. The main theme in both texts revolves around cunning, deceit, and ambition, with the subtext hinting at the unpleasant fate of these cunning and ambitious animals.
Several elements in the hypertext, such as coloring and sequence of events, character dialogues, the number and naming of characters, and the actions of the protagonist and other characters, have undergone changes compared to the pre-text. In Remizov's story, Stefanit corresponds to Kelileh, and Ikhnilat corresponds to Demneh. In both texts, Demneh (or Ikhnilat) is the main hero, while Kelileh (or Stefanit) is the contrasting hero, and the Lioness serves as the antagonist. According to Remizov, these animals, or “beings”, possess human-like characteristics, a trait intensified in the character of Demneh in particular.
Remizov's approach to modernization and defamiliarization is evident in the story, notably in the setting and space of events. While all events in the pre-text unfold in the forest, the hypertext, inferred from the narrator's conversations and statements, fluctuates events between the city, desert, and forest. Numerous aspects of contemporary human life, such as cars, buses, motorcycles, cigarettes, radios, etc., are conspicuously present throughout Remizov's narrative. One of the most significant divergences between the two texts is their respective conclusions. In Kelileh and Demneh, Demneh, after being sentenced to imprisonment, succumbs to hunger and thirst, facing a tragic fate. However, in Remizov's story, Ikhnilat is hanged after the trial, meeting his demise
The death of Kelileh in the pre-text results from extreme distress and grief, and he returns home after meeting Demneh in prison, lying in bed, eventually departing from the world after a short period. In the hypertext, Stepfanit, after meeting Ikhnilat in prison, returns home after wandering through alleys, and after some time, ends his life by consuming poison. As evident, the degree of transformation or change in comparison to imitation or congruence in the hypertextual relationship between the two texts is more pronounced. However, these changes have not adversely affected the overall narrative flow and the core theme of the story in the pre-text.
Conclusion:
Through a meticulous analysis of the discussed elements, it can be concluded that, according to the theory of transtextuality by Genette and Remizov's explicit reference to the derivation of his story from Kelileh and Demneh, hypertextuality dominates more than other relationships between these two texts. The hypertext or text “B” has been created through quantitative reduction and is of the subtractive type. Additionally, considering the loss of part of the content and substance of the pre-text or text “A” in text “B”, this reduction is of the cutting types. Since fundamental changes in the main themes of text B have not occurred, pragmatic transformation has not been witnessed. Moreover, in the hypertextual relationships between these two works, the index of relationship has a more significant share compared to the function index.
Examining the hypertextual relationships reveals that parody predominates over parody in the genre of transtextuality, given the stylistic and sometimes content-related changes in the hypertext. The author's efforts to create a fun and humorous text, utilizing playful functions and the prevalence of transformation over imitation in the hypertext, characterize the genre of hypertextual relationship as parodie. Transformation and imitation are observed in both formal and content-related aspects of the examined texts, but transformation is more pronounced in the content domain.
In summary, the author has succeeded in creating a transtextual, intercultural relationship by consciously drawing from a text belonging to ancient literature and generating an entertaining text. Through the incorporation of elements from the contemporary world and defamiliarization, the author has managed to establish intertextuality, interculturality, and convey the content and message of the pre-text to his own story.